Florida's Affordable Housing Needs

Our affordable housing research tracks changes in housing prices, the supply of affordable rental housing and "cost burdened" households (those paying a high percentage of income for their rent or mortgage).

Key findings:

Single-family home prices nearly doubled in the first half of the 2000s. These gains disappeared during the recession, but the market has begun to rebound. Florida's median single-family home price rose 79% from 2000 ($163,200) to 2006 ($292,900), adjusted for inflation. It then fell to $161,700 in 2011, bringing it back into line with 1999 prices, before rising to $187,500 in 2013.

Florida has faced a shortage of affordable housing throughout the housing boom, bust and recovery. In 2000, 50% of low-income (<60% AMI) households were cost burdened (paid more than 40% of income for housing). The cost burden rate rose to 65% in 2009 before falling to 61% in 2013.

Renters are the hardest hit. 69% of Florida's low-income renters are cost burdened, compared to 52% of home owners. Over 715,000 renter households are cost burdened.

There are only 31 affordable and available rental units for every 100 extremely low-income (<30% AMI) renter households.

Contact

Anne Ray (aray@ufl.edu)

The Shimberg Center for Housing Studies

College of Design, Construction & Planning M.E Rinker, Sr. School of Construction Management